We visited the chapels in the caves where the shepherds would have kept their sheep safe and warm at night. Also, there is a chapel above the caves with glass circles in the ceiling to imitate the stars at night.
At the time of Jesus, shepherds were people of low esteem. They were poor nomads, often looked upon with suspicion, holding no social or religious sta¬tus in Israel. That they would be chosen as the first to hear the "good news of great joy" (verse 10) is surely an indication that God has "lifted up the lowly" (1:52). Jesus' birth among the poor anticipates his ministry to the poor and outcasts of Israel's society. He, whose birth was first announced to shepherd in the fields, will become the good shepherd of the sheep.
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